Sekha
by subaruxkamui4ever
Summary: Seto Jou yaoi. A series of oneshots that come together...eventually...a story told in pieces. Beginning with the end. Updated! Seto discovers his fetish for glasses...
1. A Late Afternoon in August

A Late Afternoon in August

By Katsuya Kaiba

One-Shot series: Seto Kaiba 1.0

AN: Oh, boy. It's been awhile, hasn't it? But…I bring thee tidings of Puppyshipping. All this time, I've still been writing, it's just all hidden away. Consider me Roger Waters, and consider this my Wall. This whole series of one shots is intended to tell a story…somewhat, although it's a story in pieces. Each one shot is based on a picture of Seto and Joey that I have somewhere up on my wall. Yeah. This particular one shot, the very first in the series, is actually the very last chapter. Because I'm vague like that.

* * *

You made me feel like…living.

You made me feel like living again. Maybe I had lost that, somewhere along the way. In a place that I met before I met you. A time that exists in the same way that you exist, in the past.

That's true, isn't it? You only exist in the past. I'll never see you again.

My skin is burning, but it's only burning with this feeling. It means nothing. I'm not going to leave this room. Not anymore.

The air in here, it still tastes like you. It still sounds like you, ringing off the walls and echoing around the room. I feel…I feel sick. Perhaps it's the bad taste in my mouth, the one you left behind. There are a lot of things that you left behind. Maybe I'll hold onto them for you…just for a little while. In case you decide to come and claim them. Would you take me with you?

My throat constricts. It does that on it's own. Whenever I think of you, I can hardly breathe. I should try to stop, if only for a moment or two. Try and catch my breath, and hopefully a piece of yours as well. There must be some in here, hidden away with the scent and the sound. The sheets are cold now, colder than they ever were before, even before you came to lie underneath.

It's so cold…it always was. But then, I suppose that it was you, you were the one who was always so warm. Smile like the sun, just once more, and I might not be so cold inside. You always did know what to say.

I lift my arm and pull myself up. I feel nauseous. I clench my teeth together and stave it off. I haven't eaten, and it won't help. Neither one will help.

I lie once more on a pillow that isn't mine, but it isn't anyone's now, so it doesn't make a difference. Staring at the ceiling thoughtfully, I try and think of how much longer it will be. It can't be too much longer, I've been waiting in here for what feels like years. But perhaps it's only been hours, minutes, seconds…I can't really say.

My eyes close. I think of you, and the nausea returns. I think of nothing, and the nausea returns. So I think of you, because there isn't much else left to do in here.

I think of you again.

When I think of you, I can feel something, a tightening of the muscles, a small emptiness centered in my chest, and I think that maybe if I try hard enough, I can find it. I could, if I thought of you with all my strength, I would locate the exact place in me that ached so badly, and I would tear it out. I am not afraid.

I could tear it out. But would you leave alongside?

Was that where you were this entire time?

Perhaps it's already gone. If I reached in to pull it out of me, would it really be there? Would it be gone, the way that you are? I think that it's best if I leave it be. I don't want to risk losing you. Any more than I already have.

The skin on my forehead is freezing, I know, but it's so wet, and I have been sweating. In a room that is this cold and unaware, and I feel as though if my throat would open, I might laugh. But it doesn't, and I can't. I never really wanted to.

I won't sleep. I won't.

I have to try and stay awake.

But it's been awhile.

And the last time I slept…you were here. And it was so awful. Because you weren't here, and I woke up.

When I woke up, you weren't really there. You hadn't ever been, not that night. And I had been so happy to have you back, but it wasn't for anything. It only made things worse. I dreamt that you were here. But you weren't.

My eyes are closed. I remember something from long ago. Your voice and something that you told me.

_As long as you're here…I'll always be able to go back home._

I don't think that you meant the home that I thought you meant. You meant…me. You meant that I was home.

I'm still here, but now there's no way for you to come back home. And now how will I ever find my own way there? I never got the chance to try.

_As long as you're here…_and I am here. I wonder why.

You were always so…sunny. And I was always so…well, I was someone that I had to be, but you liked that. I still am that way, mostly just for you now. It's nothing, really. It's easy for me.

But to have you around…God.

You were…you are always just like the summertime. A late afternoon in August, remember? The day where the sun had been so bright and strong, and the air was heavy and warm and it smelled just like you.

It smelled like the grass, and the sky, and the stars…just as the sun was setting. It looked just like you.

The sun, I mean. And the sunset.

Most things look like you, especially nowadays. I hold my hand over my eyes, for whatever reason, and lie silently. It reminds me of you.

My chest tightens again. I was expecting it, and I hardly even notice it happen. It's just that place, the one that I can't seem to remove, for fear of you. For fear of losing you.

Which is ridiculous, because you've already gone. But I knew that, anyway. I just didn't pay it any mind. I can still smell you, and until that fades, I don't think that I'll believe a word of it.

And when the scent of you does finally fade, I'll find something else. Something else that makes me think of you.

It won't be difficult. You're everywhere.

Maybe I'll open my window and let the sunshine inside. The sunshine won't ever fade away. It makes me sick…to think that it's all I've got left.

Sick down to my heart. A late afternoon in August…maybe I'll see one this year. If I do, I'll be sure to show it to you. I hope that it reminds you of me.


	2. Hereret

Hereret

By Katsuya Kaiba

One-Shot Series: Katsuya Jounouchi 1.0

* * *

Jounouchi couldn't remember the reason he'd asked Seto to walk with him. But he had, and he had done it without thinking, hoping that somewhere along the way he might be able to find the thing that he wanted so much to say to him, to tell him and have it out and over with. So he wouldn't have to keep it in any longer. It was heavy and it was stifling, and Jounouchi found at times that he couldn't breathe under all the pressure that it brought, to hold something so precious inside for so long. 

It wasn't that he felt it to be a burden…there was something else about the feeling that was unidentifiable yet so insistent and relentless that Jounouchi often felt that it was useless, and even silly to hold it inside any longer. He wanted to give it away, but it was so hard. Even in those moments that Seto held his eyes up a bit longer than was necessary, or the seconds that passed like hours when both of them would catch the other watching in the same moment, and it would take them so long to look away. Or perhaps it was all in Jounouchi's head…sometimes he felt that it was so. And then other times, he felt like believing, for just a day. He pretended to believe that on one day he would walk up to Seto and hold it out in his hand. Jounouchi would reach inside himself and find it, whatever it was that bound him so tightly in Seto's presence, and he would pull it out and be free at long last and he would give that feeling to Seto. He would hold it high and extend his arm, and then he would wait to see if Seto would reach out and take it from him.

Jounouchi wanted to think that Seto would take it, on certain days, but on most days he felt that it was better not to pretend.

Jounouchi had awoken earlier that morning feeling as though it were one of those certain days, the ones that were becoming so few and far between recently, and he smiled as he sat up in his bed and gazed out the window, watching the sunlight falling in streams and rivers through his half closed blinds. Today was one of those days when Jounouchi was willing to pretend. He awoke wanting to believe, and believe he did, and even now, hours later, he still believed. He trusted and relished the fantasy as he walked alongside Seto and tried to keep his eyes in front of him, knowing that it was futile and that he would sneak another peek, in just a moment. But instead of worrying and waiting for it pensively, he relaxed and stepped lightly, knowing that he would do it eventually and believing that it was alright. Pretending that Seto would do it in return, and smiling as he thought that maybe Seto, too, would try to hide it, just as Jounouchi did.

Seto had been silent for a very long time, and Jounouchi thought back and realized that Seto had not said a single word to him since they had begun walking, to nowhere in particular. The moment came, and Jounouchi glanced up out of the corner of his eye, and sure enough there was Seto, stepping quietly and studying Jounouchi from the corner of his own blue eye, and Jounouchi looked away quickly, pretending to be idly looking around and beaming brightly inside. In his gaze he suddenly caught the reason, or at least part of the reason, of why Jounouchi had wanted to walk in this particular direction, and he skipped his feet suddenly and dashed ahead of Seto, wanting to be closer.

Along this path someone had planted a long line of white flowers, and over the years that Jounouchi had been passing them by he'd watched them as they grew from tiny little stems that were nearly lost in the dirt into the large and beautifully flowered bushes that they were today. Jounouchi thought they were roses, but he couldn't say for sure because upon inspection he had discovered that the stems of the flowers were smooth and thornless. It didn't matter to him what they were because he rather liked them, and had enjoyed his time spent watching them slowly growing into what they were today. And today, they were beautiful.

Seto said nothing as he watched Jounouchi run off down the path with a close eye, feeling as though he should find out what it was that stole him away so quickly, but then he noticed that Jounouchi was slowing to a halt and Seto realized that it was the white roses that Jounouchi was after. The rosebushes were at least waist high, and they stood in a uniform line that wound and twisted closely alongside the path that the two of them were walking. Seto frowned, thinking that it looked sort of unbalanced to plant a line of roses on only one side of the path. Why not plant them on both sides? Seto took one more step and then decided to wait for Jounouchi, who had run to the very first rosebush in the line and paused, reaching out his index finger to one of the white flowers. What was he doing, and why?

Jounouchi smiled softly as he picked up his feet and ran a few steps to the first rosebush, stopping suddenly in front of it and seeing that the dew from the early morning hadn't quite evaporated fully, and on one of the roses in particular there were a few full droplets that clung lightly to the white petals. They looked as though they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer, and as Jounouchi stared silently he saw one of the droplets begin to move slowly, rolling down the side of a petal and then falling, falling off into the air and dissolving instantly into the dirt below. Jounouchi lifted his hand and reached out to the rose, running his finger lightly over the petals and collecting a few of the drops of dew on his fingertip. They were nearly gone now, but Jounouchi had made it in time. He could hear Seto's footsteps halting just a few feet behind him, but he didn't care if Seto saw him or not, and Jounouchi lifted his finger to his lips and let the dewdrops fall on his tongue. The rosewater always made him feel this way, cold and misty and just a little bit earthy, smelling like flowers and tasting like sugar.

Jounouchi turned then and faced Seto with an odd expression, feeling somewhat lightheaded for letting Seto see him do that. Seto raised his eyebrow and a small smirk threatened Jounouchi from the corner of his mouth, but then Seto began walking again and Jounouchi followed him farther along the path, stepping over the fallen petals and dead roses that littered the road ahead.

Jounouchi looked in front of Seto's feet and saw it, a perfect white flower that someone must have cut from the bush and then left behind, for whatever reason. It lay in the middle of the path, and Jounouchi realized with a start that Seto would step on the flower if he didn't look down, which Jounouchi knew that Seto wasn't interested in doing. Seto walked in a different manner than Jounouchi, and the things that Jounouchi could easily see were lost in Seto's way of walking quickly and purposefully, and he ran ahead of Seto and put himself between the rose and Seto's way. He couldn't say exactly why he was so interested in saving the poor flower, but when he saw it he knew that he had to do something. It wouldn't be fair to just leave the flower there, helpless and unnoticed, and he knew that Seto wouldn't be able to see if Jounouchi did not point it out. Seto might accidentally destroy it underfoot and then Jounouchi would be to blame, for seeing it there and never saying a word to Seto, who obviously could not see it.

Jounouchi ran around Seto and stepped to the side so that Seto had to pause in order to avoid walking directly into him. Seto frowned at Jounouchi and then opened his mouth to ask him what he was doing but Jounouchi turned away from Seto and bent over to the ground. Seto closed his mouth and watched, confused but somewhat curious as to what Jounouchi meant by this. Jounouchi stood and turned back to Seto, and when he did Seto saw that Jounouchi held something, a white flower, and Seto blinked and wondered where Jounouchi had gotten it. Had it been in his path the entire time? Seto hadn't even bothered to look down and see what he was treading upon.

Jounouchi looked up at Seto and waited for him to say something, hoping that Seto wasn't angry that he had stopped him. Seto only appeared to be confused, and then Jounouchi had an idea. It wasn't the best idea he'd ever had, but it wasn't the worst one, either, and he knew that it might make a difference. Even just a small difference would be nice, because it was getting so difficult to pretend on his own, and believing in hopeful things was very hard to do, especially when you know that you are most likely mistaken. But mistaken or not, if Jounouchi never said a word, Seto would never see it, and the promise of what might come from that struck a fear into Jounouchi's heart. Jounouchi feared that he wouldn't ever say it aloud, and he was right for thinking that because he knew deep down that he would never tell Seto how he felt. But that didn't mean a thing, Jounouchi realized, and his idea was one that stripped the words from his soul and gave him the ability to tell Seto in silence.

Jounouchi held the white flower high and extended his arm, and waited to see if Seto would take it. It was one of those certain days, and Jounouchi felt like believing.

* * *

AN: Too...sweet! The last one was so sad...I had to tell this part next. I like this, telling a story out of order. It makes it more interesting somehow, especially for me, the writer. It's more creative and fun, and it lightens up the monotonous 'then this happened, and then this happened' thing that drives me up the wall sometimes. You like? Let me know why...


	3. Sickness

Sickness

By Katsuya Kaiba

One Shot Series: Seto Kaiba 2.0

* * *

"Oh, god…" 

His eyes burned terribly, but all he could do was rub at them repeatedly, so often that he suspected that he might soon rub all the blue in them away. Thinking that thought in particular caused him to lower his hands from his face momentarily and stare at his fingers, wondering what had caused such a strange and irrational thought. His eyes tried their best to focus on what lay before them, but it hurt so badly, and all he really wanted to do was close them for good and ever. He let his hands fall back to the keys of his laptop and he gave them an experimental tap or two, and noted that what he had been typing was nothing that made any sort of sense. Or maybe it did, and he was just too dizzy to see reason when it was shoved in his face. He _was_ dizzy, terribly so, although he wasn't sure why that was because he was sitting and he had been for quite some time. Ever since he'd gotten to his office…how long had he been there?

Seto glanced over at the clock on his wall. It was ten thirty in the morning…he had hardly been in for four hours. Too soon, too soon to take a break, too soon to go home or even consider doing anything other than catching up with the huge pile of paperwork that had somehow grown to an unfair height in the corner of his desk, and while he knew that something had been slightly bothering him for the past few days, it was no excuse for this serious lack of timeliness. He sat back in his chair and stared at the pile fearfully, as though it threatened him, and it did, but not in the way that the pile itself was frightening. It was Seto's lack of willpower, his sudden decrease in drive and intensity that was looming so unbearably in the farthest reaches of his mind. He couldn't be slipping…could he?

A bout of nausea gripped him and he clutched at his stomach, thinking that perhaps he should get up from his desk and run to the bathroom, just in case. But no…he decided that he mustn't give in. whatever this was that had haunted his body for the last two days, this unseen demon that sucked away his strength and threw him into feverish sweats, who made his skin and his eyes burn with heat and twisted his stomach into hopeless knots…Seto didn't like him much. And Seto was determined to be declared victorious in this physical struggle, so each day he pressed on and dragged himself to work, striving to accomplish double the amount that he would normally consider to be adequate. Seto would not give in to such a human vice, the weak and pitiful _sickness_ that tried it's absolute best to claim him.

Seto had made up his mind that he was simply _not sick_.

There wasn't very much that would be proven effective against a will such as Seto's, and now that the matter was closed and decided, no one could change his mind. Oh, plenty had tried; Jounouchi and Mokuba being the most determined and at the same time the most hopeful chance that there was in this fight. But there wasn't much that either of them could do. However, it was far more than anyone else could do, or even dared to try. Seto frowned to himself as he remembered Jounouchi's parting words to him this morning as he had dragged himself out of bed, intent on going into the office even though Jounouchi had taken his temperature at 103 degrees.

"_Alright, then…go on. Go to work, I know that you're going to go no matter what I say, so just get out, then. But I'm warning you – if you collapse at work and someone has to carry you home, you're going to be awfully upset that you went. And don't even expect _me _to take care of you when they bring you home…you can just lie there and feel sorry for yourself. Just watch and see…it'll happen…"_

It most certainly would not happen. Seto wasn't sure why Jounouchi was being so mean to him now that he was down, but he decided that it must be due to something irrationally emotional, and Seto didn't want any part in something like that, so he'd let Jounouchi speak and then promptly left for work as soon as he had finished. It seemed as though Mokuba was under the same 'kick Seto when he's down' spell, and Seto knew for a fact that his little brother was angry with him when he had received a phone call from him about an hour earlier.

_"Kaiba"_

"…_Nii-sama? Where are you?"_

"_I'm working, of course. Why?"_

_Silence. And then, "Jounouchi says that you're sicker than ever, and you still wouldn't stay home from work. Are you still sick?"_

_Seto gritted his teeth. "_No…_I am not sick." If he spoke those words, it would be just like admitting defeat. He didn't take into consideration whether or not he was lying to his brother, and before he had the chance to make the connection Mokuba began to speak again. _

"_Nii-sama…you're lying. Jounouchi wouldn't lie, but _you would_ if it meant that you got to go to work when you aren't supposed to."_

_That startled Seto, he hadn't thought of it in that light. "O-touto-"_

"_No, you better go home right now, or else…"_

_Seto smiled, although he wasn't really all that amused. "Or else…what?"_

"_I'll hang up on you." Mokuba was firm and decisive, speaking in such a way that left no room for question. Seto, however, wasn't able to comprehend such things directed at him, and he questioned Mokuba anyway. He was tired and stressed out, and while he didn't want to admit it deep down, he knew that he was sick as hell, and he just didn't want to deal with Mokuba and Jounouchi like this. Not all in the same crappy day._

"_Mokuba…I am not coming home. You two need to-"_

_Click. The other line dropped, and Seto brought the phone away from his ear and stared at it helplessly, half in shock and half in rage. _

Seto shook his head again, forcing his eyes to stare sightlessly at the computer screen in front of him. He wouldn't give in, no matter how much those two begged him to. How could they understand, anyway? What did they think he did for a living? They had no idea of what it was like, to have all of these people and things and appointments, and every one of them scheduled around Seto himself. Seto was very important, and he was well aware of that fact and lived his life accordingly, and he hadn't a moment or a piece of himself to spare. Too many commitments, too many decisions to make and far too much paperwork to go through. Paperwork…Seto hated it. He gave the stack on the corner of his desk a sullen glare and lifted his elbows to rest on the desktop before him. Maybe he just needed to get up for a moment and stretch his legs. He knew that there wasn't much hope for him to concentrate the way he was going now, and he pushed his chair back from the desk and winced at the pain that shot through the muscles in his back.

He was not sick. He simply was not.

Placing his hands flat on the desktop, he pushed himself into a standing position and carefully stood, feeling himself sway at his new height. He frowned and let go of the desk decisively, he didn't need any support, and instead he walked away and opened the door to his office, deciding to go and see if there was any new paperwork to add to his ever-growing collection. It was so odd, though…he had never let things get this bad before, and yet there was so much more than there ever had been. Was he slacking? He closed his eyes and rubbed at them once again, trying his hardest to ignore the stinging sensation that covered his eyes even when they were shut. It was as though the heat from his forehead was leaking into his eyes, and he took a few more steps down the hallway until something made him pause in mid-step. He froze in the center of the hall and looked down at his feet, and noticed in a sort of faraway panic that he wasn't as in control of them as he thought he had been, and he tried to lift one of them and found that it simply refused to obey him. It remained where it was, and Seto didn't move an inch.

It was a bit infuriating, and he set his teeth together and moved again, letting his hand reach out to the wall of the hallway in an attempt to halt the feeling that he was spinning, even though he was positive that he was doing no such thing seeing as how his feet wouldn't move. The hand that he let out found the wall, but his arm was so weak that he wasn't able to support himself by it alone, and he realized that if he didn't catch himself he was going to fall down. He let his other arm out and it shot towards the wall as fast as he could let it, but it was too late and Seto fell, fell in the center of the hallway and the darkness gripped him as the force of the fall hit his head on the way down.

* * *

Seto wasn't exactly sure about where he was or how he had gotten there, but wherever it was, it was far too hot. He was only so aware of himself, but he caught snatches of sensations through a fog and he realized that his shirt was stuck to his body somehow, and it felt so disgusting against his skin that he lifted his hands so that he could pull it off, but nothing happened. His arms didn't move, and his shirt remained glued to his skin in a wet and stifling manner. Why wouldn't his body react to his commands any longer? And why the hell was it so damn hot in here…wherever here was? 

As his level of awareness rose slowly he began to feel all of the muscles in his body trembling for some unknown reason, and he frowned for a moment until he noticed that frowning was now painful, and he let the expression fall from his face and instead set himself to the task of opening his eyes. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to at that point, but he needed to do something, anything that would prove that he was in control of himself, even if it was limited to his eyelids. Seto had just about worked up enough strength to give it a go when he felt something shockingly frozen and wet against his forehead and he cringed at the sudden icy feeling it brought, not entirely sure if it was pleasant. It was, he realized a few seconds later, because it drew the heat away from his skin and made it easier for him to open his eyes, which he found that he was now able to do, if only halfway.

His eyes cracked open slightly and Seto winced at the light that streamed on his face, although in reality there was only one light on in the room and all of the blinds were shut, making the room darker than it normally was. Everything seemed to be just a bit farther away than it always had been before, and Seto recognized his bedroom after staring sideways at the blurry mess for some time. The freezing touch returned once again and Seto's eyes widened and he looked in front of him and found Jounouchi sitting on the edge of his bed quietly, wearing an oddly calm expression on his face. Seto reluctantly remembered what he had been scolded about earlier that morning, and now that those events had come to pass, despite his best efforts, he knew that he was in for it somehow. Perhaps his pathetic condition would be payment enough…he could tell that he looked precisely how he felt. Seto watched Jounouchi as he lifted the cloth in his hands to his face again and tried to cool off his burning skin, and Seto thought it was odd how Jounouchi was able to study his face so closely without once making eye contact. Seto stared his absolute hardest at Jounouchi's eyes, and finally Jounouchi glanced to the side and caught Seto's gaze, smiling from the corner of his mouth quickly before looking down again at the cloth in his hand. He sighed hopelessly and brought his eyes up to Seto's, who was still watching Jounouchi intently.

"You know…I swore that if you hurt yourself by going into work today, I wasn't going to take care of you. I still don't think that I should…but just look at you. You're a mess…and you're burning up. You're even hotter than you were when you left this morning. What did I tell you…?"

Seto opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a word out Jounouchi had pressed a finger on Seto's lips and shaken his head.

"It'll hurt your throat if you speak. Just lie still, and be quiet for once." Jounouchi smiled again, and Seto smiled weakly back, hoping that Jounouchi meant what he had said and wasn't going to let him be miserable like this all alone. Never mind what he himself would have done if Jounouchi had done a thing that Seto had insisted that he refrain from doing…this was totally different. Jounouchi stood up from his seat and leaned over the bed, giving Seto a slight kiss on his forehead before he backed away.

"This isn't cold anymore," he lifted the washcloth in his hand so that Seto could see, "so I'm just going into the bathroom real quick, okay? I'll be right back." He turned around and walked into Seto's bathroom, disappearing from Seto's line of sight as soon as he was behind the door. The water ran in the sink for a minute or so, and then Jounouchi came back out and sat down just where he had been before, raising the cloth to Seto's forehead and pressing it against his skin. Seto's muscles all trembled violently for a moment as the stinging cold sunk into his face, but he tried his best to relax underneath it and eventually it became bearable.

"Well…Mokuba called me and told me that someone from Kaiba Corp. had found you lying in the hallway, out cold…they sent you to the hospital immediately, which wasn't necessary since the doctor sent you right back here…exactly where I told you to stay in the first place. You had the flu originally, they said, but you pushed it too far, and now you've got something worse, nothing bad enough to keep you in the hospital, of course, but…you'll need to stay here for a few days."

A few _days_? Unthinkable, and Seto tried to sit up and demand that Jounouchi move out of his way, but he couldn't even bring his body to stop it's trembling, let alone move about freely like he was wanting to. He did manage to shift his eight around a bit and he gave Jounouchi a glare, but he felt that it was weak and Jounouchi only blinked at him before reaching out and pushing downwards on Seto's shoulders, ensuring that his escape would fail.

"Yes…a few days. I know that's what's got you all bent out of shape, but it's either that or go into work and collapse every day…wouldn't that begin to make you lose face after awhile?" Jounouchi caught his eyes and held them firmly, and Seto thought about what he had just said. It made sense, the very last image he wanted to paint to his employees was a weak one, and if he remained ill much longer he might just being to come off that way. Perhaps it might be best to hide this particular ailment behind closed doors.

Jounouchi lifted the cloth away from Seto's forehead and set it down on the dresser beside the bed.

"I know that I said I wouldn't take care of you…but you knew I was lying, didn't you?" Seto didn't say anything, but he did manage to lift the edge of his mouth in a slight smirk that Jounouchi could see even through his sickness, and he frowned for a moment, and then broke into a bright smile.

"I didn't even know that I was lying…you know? I promised myself that if you wanted to be stupid, you'd have to go on and be stupid n your own…but I couldn't do that." Jounouchi stood up and grabbed the washcloth in his hand. "You're a wreck, and I was so afraid when Mokuba called me and told me that you were in the hospital…don't do this anymore…alright?"

Seto couldn't really answer Jounouchi one way or the other, but Jounouchi didn't wait around too long and he turned around and walked across the room. Opening the door and slipping outside, he gave Seto one last mock glare before he smiled and waved at him. "Go to sleep." The door shut a second later, and Seto's eyelids fell down all by themselves, without any encouragement from Seto himself. He was rather tired, although it seemed as though he had been asleep for ages. His skin felt so much better than it had when he had first awoken, and he grinned to himself as he thought of Jounouchi and how much Seto didn't even have to try. It was almost too easy.

* * *

AN: Awww...I don't know what to say. Jounouchi's just so nice, and Seto...well, he's...he sure is hot. Redeemingly so. My two favorite memories are coming up next...these are like memories, aren't they? It's like Seto's still in his bed, in the first chapter, and he's thinking back. Ai...that's sad, though. Maybe I shouldn't look at it like that. You can. 


	4. Broken

Broken

By Katsuya Kaiba

One Shot Series: Seto Kaiba 3.0

* * *

Seto Kaiba held the locket in his hands, the one he'd worn for so long now, and simply stared at it in disbelief. How had he done it? He managed to close it, with some difficulty, and then tried to reopen it, but something was wrong with the hinge that caused the front of it to stick and then fall out on one end. 

He'd broken his locket. The one that had the picture of Mokuba and his keycard, the locket that was identical to Mokuba's own in every way. Only the picture was different, for while Seto had one of Mokuba, his brother's locket held a picture of Seto. It hadn't been planned that way, the lockets were meant to hold only the keycards that granted the two of them access to all areas of Kaiba Corp., but somewhere along the way Mokuba had cut the old picture taken in the orphanage in two, slipping a piece into each locket.

Seto hadn't done a thing about it, when he'd finally noticed. He didn't want to, but he never told Mokuba that. He never even let on that he had noticed. It was just that Mokuba knew better than to expect a reaction.

But now…

Seto fumbled with the clasp, which was fine and wasn't the existing problem, and he closed the locket as best he could, trying to decide what to do. He glanced up quickly at the front of the classroom, but the teacher was facing the chalkboard and couldn't see that Seto was not paying attention. Not that he ever really did, but he did put forth effort to create the illusion that he was listening. Not right now, though. There was something far more important that required his careful attention.

What had he done to it? He couldn't remember anything happening to it. It had to be fixed, though, if he was going to continue to carry that keycard around inside of it. Wasn't there anything else that he could keep it safe in?

That thought struck something in his chest, and his eyes widened slightly as he realized that he, for some unknown reason, did not want to part with the locket so soon.

Seto gazed down at the necklace in his hands and frowned, wondering what could possibly possess him to feel such a thing. And how foolish it was, Seto thought, that he should find himself feeling anything other than a mild irritation over what had become of the locket. It was only a locket, one that had served a purpose and was therefore useful, and nothing more. That had been the only motivation to wear it.

So then, what was this? Some sort of misplaced emotional attachment, sprung forth from all that Seto had endured whilst wearing it? It had been a long time since Seto had taken it off. And every now and then, when Mokuba was not around, he might have absentmindedly flipped it open once or twice and looked inside, just to see. Perhaps it was memories such as these that forced him to brood over the broken locket, which was never meant to have held so much inside.

Perhaps…but still, it wasn't anything that Seto wanted to feel. Whatever it was, he did not approve, and he immediately set himself to the task of fixing the damage that had been mysteriously inflicted upon the necklace. At least nothing had fallen out.

He lifted the thing up to his eyes and studied the hinge closely, hoping to find the source of the problem. It was obvious that something was broken inside of the hinge, but it was such a small thing, and Seto wasn't able to see just what the problem was. He opened it, closed it, and then opened it again, all the while frowning at the locket in front of his face, looking perplexed but determined. Maybe there _was _something he could do to fix it, and then he wouldn't have to deal with the fact that he didn't want to let it go, because then he wouldn't have to anymore. Everything would be as it once was, and Seto could easily forget that he had ever felt a thing.

"Hey!"

A voice so quiet that only Seto himself heard it came from behind his back, and he slowly turned his head, cringing at the thought of who the whisper belonged to. He found Jounouchi leaning forward in his desk, which just happened to be the desk that was positioned directly behind Seto's, a seating arrangement that, in Seto's mind, was due to very poor planning on the teacher's behalf.

Jounouchi reached out and tried to grab at the locket, but Seto pulled it out of his reach just in time, causing Jounouchi to miss and then make an exasperated face.

"Give it here!" he whispered once more and then looked up at the teacher, but she hadn't heard him speak and he brought his attention back to Seto and the broken locket that he held.

Seto turned sideways in his seat and glared at Jounouchi, who rolled his eyes and held out his hand, palm facing towards the ceiling.

"I can fix it for you…I think. Let me see it."

Jounouchi's whisper was so near silent that it was almost as though Seto was merely reading his lips, and Seto glanced back to the locket and furrowed his brow, slightly confused, but more irritated than anything else. Jounouchi waited patiently, and when Seto still hadn't moved after a minute had gone by he leaned in even closer and whispered again, trying his best to sound helpful. He only wanted to help, and Seto was having such a hard time with the locket that he couldn't help but notice, watching it all happen right in front of his own desk.

"I won't break it…look…"

Jounouchi leaned over to the side and opened the small outer pouch of his backpack, sticking his hand inside and fishing around through old candy wrappers and random broken things until he sat back up in his seat and lifted his hand proudly in front of Seto's face.

He held a small plastic box, black and long and thin, and Jounouchi opened the lid and let Seto look inside.

Seto peered over the edge of the box and saw that it was an eyeglass kit, and it was then that he realized Jounouchi really did mean to fix his broken locket, and was simply showing Seto the tools with which he planned to accomplish the task. Now Seto became even more confused, but he reluctantly handed the locket to Jounouchi, who took it and set the kit down on the flat wooden surface of his desk.

Seto watched all of the proceedings with a sharp eye, somewhat willing to give the boy a shot at fixing it, but in the same breath prepared to rain down misery and torture if he only made things worse.

Jounouchi turned the locket over in his hands and looked closely at the hinge, and a look of recognition crossed his face that intrigued Seto, and he wondered if maybe Jounouchi actually knew what it was that he was doing.

_It would certainly be a first_, he thought, but kept it to himself.

Jounouchi caught Seto's eye, but then just as quickly he looked back at the locket. Seto thought that odd, but he continued to observe as Jounouchi sifted through the contents of the small box until he came up with a tiny screwdriver and a screw, one that was so small Seto wondered what Jounouchi kept it for. And why did he keep an eyeglass kit with him, in the first place? Jounouchi didn't wear glasses, or at least, none that Seto had ever seen.

Seto grew too curious and found that he had to ask, and he took a quick look at the teacher before he did so to make sure that his timing was right.

"Why do you have that?"

Jounouchi looked up from his delicate work just in time to see Seto point to the plastic box on his desk, and then he looked back at the screwdriver and twisted it some more, pulling out the broken screw that had been the cause of all the trouble. He shook the locket over his desk and the other piece of the screw fell out, and both Seto and Jounouchi heard it as it fell out of it's hinge and bounced off of the desk with a nearly inaudible metallic sound, rolling off somewhere onto the floor. Jounouchi then set the locket against his desktop and held it on its side, reaching out for the fresh screw with his other hand and carefully dropping it into the hinge.

"For repairs," Jounouchi finally whispered back. "I'm supposed to wear glasses, but…I don't. They look weird."

Jounouchi glanced up at Seto with a grin, and Seto watched him do it without responding, too confused by the confession to react to Jounouchi's expression, which he normally would not have let slide. Why would someone not wear glasses if they were supposed to? Where was the logic in that?

Seto refocused his eyes on Jounouchi's face, but he had already forgotten about the exchange and had the screwdriver in place, twisting slowly. Seto watched him in silence, wanting to ask him, but now knowing if he should. It wasn't at all like him to be interested in the reasoning behind Jounouchi's unreasonable actions, and he closed his mouth firmly and stared hard at the locket as Jounouchi gave the screwdriver one final twist before setting it carefully back into it's case. He then shut the lid of the plastic box and tossed it casually into the open pouch of his backpack, leaning over to zip it shut and then sitting upright with the locket still in his hand.

He stuck his fingernail into the clasp and popped the front open, and sure enough it was fixed, and the locket swung open just as it always had.

Jounouchi took a moment to study the picture that lay inside, and Seto didn't try to stop him, although his initial reaction had been to snatch the locket out of Jounouchi's hands and berate him for prying. But he couldn't, because they were sitting in the middle of class, and besides…as much as Seto hated to admit it, Jounouchi had _helped_ him. It hadn't been such a huge favor, but Seto still appreciated it, in his own way.

Jounouchi knew better, anyway, and he snapped the locket shut and handed it over to Seto, who took it with an odd look on his face. He didn't much want to express his gratitude, which was nearly non-existent in the first place, but he did feel that it would be improper to simply turn back in his seat and ignore Jounouchi as he would normally. So instead, he remained where he was, sitting sideways in his seat, and he asked Jounouchi what he had wanted to ask him before.

"Where are your glasses?"

Jounouchi regarded Seto with a curious look and raised one of his eyebrows while he slowly lifted his hand and pointed down to his backpack. Seto's eyes followed the direction until he found the backpack that Jounouchi motioned towards, and then looked back up at Jounouchi and spoke, feeling very apprehensive about doing so. Seto knew, deep down, that he didn't really care in the least, but he supposed that it wouldn't be beneath him to entertain Jounouchi with small talk, in exchange for the repair that Jounouchi had performed for him.

"Let me see."

Jounouchi frowned at Seto when he heard what he'd said, and he shook his head and mouthed the word 'no'. There was something else, another emotion that Seto could see clearly in Jounouchi's eyes, but he hadn't been able to catch what it was, exactly.

Seto glared at Jounouchi and then leaned back in his seat, reaching out for Jounouchi's backpack and unzipping the part that he had just closed. He didn't have enough time to get his hand inside the bag, for Jounouchi had seen what Seto meant to do and he had reacted, grabbing at Seto's hand and pulling on his uniform sleeve in defense, an anxious look in his eyes.

Seto caught the look and then smirked, watching the fear on Jounouchi's face fade into irritation and begrudging acceptance as he leaned away again and watched as Jounouchi stuck his own hand into the open backpack. He gave Seto a glare, but after a few seconds had passed he sat up in his seat and set a black case down on his desktop and waited silently for Seto to pick it up and look inside himself.

Seto did take the case, after watching Jounouchi to see if he was actually mad, but Seto had somehow known that he wouldn't be. Feeling strangely victorious, Seto lifted the lid of the long case and took a moment to study the glasses before he did anything else.

The very first thing that Seto noticed was that the lenses in Jounouchi's glasses were thin, so they probably weren't meant for much more than reading, although he noted that both boys were supposed to be reading at that exact moment, and Jounouchi wasn't wearing the glasses.

In truth, Jounouchi hadn't ever worn the glasses, save the one time that he had tried them on at the optometrists and had decided that these were the pair that made him look the least like a nerd.

The frame was a thin gold wire, and the lenses themselves were long and oval shaped, and overall, they didn't look very noticeable at all. From the way that Jounouchi had reacted to Seto's desire to see them, Seto had thought that they would have been horrendous things, but these were…these glasses were nice.

Seto knew that they wouldn't look awful on Jounouchi, and he had done well in choosing the gold wire over anything else.

And then Seto had an idea.

He picked the glasses up and lifted them from their case delicately, unfolding them and nonchalantly handing them to Jounouchi, who stared at Seto with murder in his eyes, but Seto only smiled back. Jounouchi eventually took the glasses from Seto's hand with a very low and deep-throated growl.

"Put them on." Seto spoke softly but commandingly, and Jounouchi frowned and looked down to his desktop.

"I know!" He whispered back, just a bit too loud, but no one noticed.

Jounouchi lifted the glasses and held them up in front of his eyes, looking once desperately in Seto's direction but knowing full well that Seto didn't care if he was embarrassed or not. Jounouchi wasn't even sure why he was indulging Seto like this, but he felt that if he didn't try the glasses on that this moment would be lost, and Seto might never be anything other than a complete jackass to Jounouchi for the rest of their lives. Jounouchi was tired of it; and not only that, but he also found that he was willing to put up with this version of Seto much more easily than any other version that he had ever encountered. Maybe it was because he had helped Seto with something, or maybe not, but either way this moment was just a bit different than all the others that the two had shared, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Jounouchi wrapped his fingers around the two gold curves and closed his eyes in defeat, sliding them around the backs of his ears and setting the lenses down lightly on the bridge of his nose and then waiting. Waiting with his eyes shut, for Seto to do something that would let him know that it was all right to take the glasses off. Jounouchi listened for Seto, but he never said a word, and he was motionless for so long that Jounouchi got too curious and opened one single eye cautiously, taking a peek at Seto to see if he was laughing at him or not.

Seto wasn't laughing, and he wasn't even smiling, and Jounouchi allowed his other eye to open and searched Seto's blank face for some sort of a response.

Seto watched as Jounouchi reluctantly set the glasses down over his eyes and then stared, wondering hwy he found the sight so intriguing. It certainly hadn't been anything to cry over, and now Seto was confused and just a little bit irritated with Jounouchi for refusing to wear the glasses. He would have demanded to know the reason right that instant if he hadn't been so wrapped up in making up for lost time.

The glasses themselves were hardly noticeable, just as Seto had predicted, but the parts of them that did show only served to compliment Jounouchi's tanned skin with the glint of gold, and the light and parched sandy streaks in his dark blond hair came out strongly against the contrast, letting the rest of the strands blend in with the bronze color of the frame wire.

Seto blinked, and then noted that it wasn't the glasses that made Jounouchi look different, but something else did and he wasn't sure what it might have been. Jounouchi looked a way that Seto had never seen him look before, but after another moment passed Jounouchi slowly let one of his eyes slide open, and then the other one followed to see what Seto was doing.

Two things struck Seto in the same moment, and he wasn't sure which one of them he should respond to first.

The first thing that Seto noticed was that he had been staring at Jounouchi for so long that the other boy had gotten curious as to what was keeping Seto from responding, and now so much time had passed that Jounouchi had opened his eyes just to see what Seto was up to.

The second thing that passed through Seto's mind was the completion that he felt when Jounouchi did finally open his eyes, and the amber in them shone clearly through in a way that just hadn't ever happened whenever Seto had looked in Jounouchi's direction in the past. Maybe it was because Jounouchi was so close…or maybe it was because Seto had never bothered to regard Jounouchi in this way. He had originally planned on telling Jounouchi if the glasses truly did look badly on him or not, and going into the situation with the intention of seeing Jounouchi in a positive or negative aspect…may have been Seto's mistake.

"What? Are they that bad?" Jounouchi whispered nervously at Seto, who still hadn't moved or spoken, or even so much as made a facial expression that wasn't either blank or still.

Seto's mind was running through a great many things, the order and names of them being Fear, Confusion, a small sort of Irritation, and classically, Denial, but for all of those things inside of him he was still able to shut them all down systematically, one by one, and eventually he responded to Jounouchi's fearful question.

"No…they're not so bad." Seto whispered back to Jounouchi, a mask of indifference pulled over his face, and Jounouchi gave him a relieved smile and lifted his hands to his ears.

Seto saw this, realizing that Jounouchi meant to remove his glasses, and he reacted suddenly and without thinking, not truly seeing what he was doing until it was already done.

His hand darted out and caught Jounouchi's left, holding tightly to his wrist and then freezing suddenly when he saw what he had done. Jounouchi paused in his motion and regarded Seto strangely, and Seto tilted his head to the side and acted as though he'd meant to do it, although his head was swimming with the reality, and the sight of this unseen Jounouchi that was new and unfamiliar.

Seto leaned in, lifting his hand from Jounouchi's wrist and whispering quietly.

"Leave them on for a while."

Neither of them moved or spoke for a few seconds, and then Jounouchi nodded slightly and sat back in his seat, looking ahead to the front of the classroom. Seto, too, turned in his desk until he was facing forward once again, and he didn't look back at Jounouchi until the end of the class, and in doing so he found him with his glasses still in place, looking back at Seto questioningly.

The other students filed out of the room noisily, but neither Seto nor Jounouchi noticed them all that much, and then Jounouchi reached out and picked up the black case that still sat on his desktop.

"Can I take them off now?"

There was no more reason left to whisper, and Jounouchi's voice returned to it's normal and obnoxiously loud volume, although the irritation that Seto had once found in it was slipping slowly into a place that was swiftly becoming unreachable in the depths of Seto's ignorance. Seto stood up from his seat and grabbed the handle of his briefcase as he rose sharply, but he didn't turn away from Jounouchi, and Jounouchi didn't move or stand.

"If you want to."

Jounouchi stared at Seto and watched his eyes, and saw that the blue inside of them was dark and unreadable. After a long and silent moment of debate, Jounouchi finally moved, leaning over to his backpack and slipping the empty black case into the open pouch. He then stood up, his arm entwined in one of the straps, and he slung the bag over his shoulder before pushing the glasses up on his nose and giving Seto a mock glare.

Seto smirked at that, and then followed Jounouchi out of the classroom, slipping the string of the locket over his head and around his neck on the way out.

* * *

I love this one shot so much, and I don't even know why. It's just so simple, but it feels like much more is happening than just what happens, you know? It's really just a 'can Jou fix Seto?' thing, but you know it's cute. Give it up. It's one of my favorite things that I have ever written, fanfiction or original. It really stuck with me, and I finally found it so I could share it. 


	5. Everyone

Everyone

By Katsuya Kaiba

One Shot Series: Katsuya Jounouchi 2.0

* * *

It was so hot outside, but I couldn't even feel it. The sharp and oppressive sunlight never reached me, and I ran inside the bathroom and into an empty stall. They were all empty, but I didn't even notice it at the time, and I ducked into the biggest one and dropped down onto the tile floor, utterly defeated. I hadn't even seen it coming, and I was so stupid for it. Why hadn't I noticed?

I let my face fall into my hands and before too long the tears stung at the backs of my eyes, and I let them come, not knowing what else to do. It was all that I had. I was so…empty. Was it me? Was there something wrong with the way that I was? I couldn't be…could I?

I'd had a chance, and I had taken it, not even knowing that it was a chance I was willing to take. It was all there, everything fit and all of the pieces matched, every single piece except for my own. It was so plain, so obvious, yet it was at that moment that I had known, and known that I should have seen it sooner. I shouldn't have let this happen.

It was too late now, and everything would fall apart, all around me. Everyone would know. Everyone would see. Everyone **_had_** seen. I couldn't hide it, not from anyone and not from myself. I wished that I could. It wasn't anything that I wanted to see.

I pulled my knees up tight to my chest and cried, and when I heard the bell that signaled the end of the lunch hour I hardly even noticed it, and I didn't get up or try to stop my tears. I wasn't leaving this bathroom…not yet. I couldn't go back out there, not after everyone had seen me, and what I had foolishly done.

Why had I done that? I hadn't ever thought of it, never once dreamed of it, never once cared to. I didn't even want to…but I had. There wasn't any way that I wanted it…wouldn't I have known? Wouldn't I have seen it coming?

_Not if you weren't looking_, I thought to myself.

It wasn't a thing that I would have ever sought, never within myself. Not in my friends, or in my enemies…it was nothing to me. Or at least, it had been nothing, until I had found it inside of me. Now it was something, it was more than just something.

It was me; a part of me…wasn't it? Oh, god…but it wasn't all of me. I was more than just that, if in fact it was the truth.

The school had grown quiet, and I knew that it was too late now. Classes had begun long ago, and I wasn't there. I wasn't going, not like this. Not after having done something like that. Everyone had seen, and I hadn't…I hadn't even cared.

I hadn't cared then, but I did care now. And I cried, I cried and I just couldn't bring myself to stop. I cried for who I was, and for what I knew now and wished that I still didn't, and my body shook with the sobs that came for each and every thought that I had hidden. My eyes began to burn for the tears, but they kept falling, and I kept on crying. I lost myself in it, and I never heard the bathroom door open, or the sound of the footsteps approaching the stall that I hid inside. It wasn't a very good place to hide.

I jumped suddenly and glanced upward as the stall door swung open slowly, and I realized far too late that I hadn't even bothered to lock the door before throwing myself down on the floor. So stupid…but then, I already knew that.

Seto Kaiba stood apprehensively in the doorway, and I stared at him for a moment, hoping that he hadn't come to kill me. I vaguely wondered why he wasn't in class himself, but it wasn't important enough at the time to keep my attention, and I paid it little mind. He said nothing at first, and instead chose to watch me silently, and I gave up on looking at him and buried my face in my hands. He was here for something, and I was pretty sure that it wasn't just to use the bathroom. I tried to forget that he was there and continued on the way that I had been, crying softly for so little and nothing that was really so tragic. It just was to me.

"Jounouchi." Kaiba's voice was stern, and I looked up sharply, catching a sob in my throat. I stared at him, feeling stray tears trickling through my eyelashes. He didn't look angry, and I was confused about that, but he opened his mouth to speak again, and I remained silent.

"Stop that."

I stopped crying for a moment, mostly over confusion than anything else. Stop what? Crying? I didn't think that I could, and I told him so, although my voice was quiet and broken and I hoped that he understood.

"I…I can't."

"You have to." Kaiba took a step forward and into the stall completely, the toes of his boots mere inches from my own shoes. It frightened me somewhat, and I flinched as he stepped forward, thinking that maybe he was angry with me after all. He was _supposed _to be angry, very angry, and my suspicions grew with each moment that passed and still left me unharmed.

"Why? I want to cry. I didn't…I didn't mean to do that."

My eyes flickered up to Kaiba's, who wore an unreadable expression, but from what I could see, he really wasn't angry at all. I didn't know what he was, but it was a calm and collected emotion, whatever it might have been. Kaiba was in control, and I was so very glad for that, for the very first time.

"Just don't. Don't cry."

I didn't know what to say to him, but the longer that I stared and watched his eyes as he stared back, the more I saw that I could stop crying, if I really wanted to. Kaiba wanted me to. I didn't know why that was, but Kaiba had never once asked me for anything before, and it was so odd how I wanted to comply.

So I did. I blinked once, then again, and every lost tear that I had fell from my eyes and onto my cheek, and I lifted one of my hands up and wiped them clean with my sleeve. I could do this, I realized, and I looked back up at Kaiba and saw that the blue inside of his eyes had lightened in a way.

I cast my eyes to the ground again, knowing just how I must have looked to him, but I heard something then, a shuffling of shoes against the tiled floor, and I lifted my eyes just in time to see Kaiba leaning over and reaching out for my face. I was startled and I sat back against the divider, trying to back away from his unexpected touch, but he was insistent and he slipped his fingers underneath my chin and lifted my face upwards to look clearly into my eyes.

Kaiba didn't move, not for the longest time, and then finally he moved his face just a little bit forward, and I lifted my chin slightly and met him in the middle.

This time, the kiss wasn't my fault, and I didn't feel quite as badly as I had the first time that this had happened, which had really only been about half an hour ago. Maybe longer. Kaiba fell to his knees soon afterwards and pulled me up to his height by my shoulders and continued to kiss me, and this time there was no one around, and I didn't feel the way that I had felt seconds before.

I forgot about why I was crying and simply kissed him back, and I knew then, I knew that it wasn't so awful. It wasn't as bad as I had thought. I just hadn't been aware that I was going to do it…and neither had Kaiba. But this kiss was much different from the first, and it was so much better, in a certain sort of way.

This kiss wasn't too sudden or rushed, and it started out slowly and then built itself up from there, growing in silence until I couldn't stand it any longer, and I moaned quietly in the lowest and deepest part of my throat. Kaiba started slightly when he heard it, but it was immediately forgotten and then he kissed me even harder, and I was beginning to feel the lack of air to my lungs, but I did nothing to help it.

Instead, I lifted my arms and set my hands down lightly on his hips, and he didn't try to stop me at all. I wasn't even sure why I had been scared that he might. Maybe I was just afraid of everything. It didn't stop me at all, and it didn't stop Kaiba. Soon afterwards I felt Kaiba's hands roaming as well, and they paused at the small of my back and then crept upwards, slipping underneath the fabric of my uniform and sliding up the skin of my back, and I shuddered as I felt him do that. I couldn't even believe that he would do that in the first place. Kaiba…Kaiba liked it. And so did I.

He pulled back suddenly and slid his hands out from underneath my jacket, standing up on his feet and studying my face sharply, as if searching for something. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I stared right back at him, too shocked and stricken with disbelief to do anything else.

"Don't cry."

Kaiba turned and left the stall, and after a few more moments had passed I heard the bathroom door open and then close. He was gone.

I fell back down to the ground and leaned against the divider, pulling my knees back up tightly to my chest, just the way they had been before Kaiba had come. But I didn't cry. I couldn't cry, not now. I just didn't feel like it anymore.

* * *

Awww...no cry, Jou! I hate it when you cry... 


	6. Film

Film

By Katsuya Kaiba

One Shot Series: Katsuya Jounouchi 3.0

* * *

"Really? You won't come tonight?" Yuugi gazed up at him with wide eyes and upturned eyebrows, and it took everything inside of Jounouchi to stand firm against the tried and true method that Yuugi would only ever use as a last resort. 

"Really. I just can't. You know I want to, Yuugi, but I promised Seto…you know."

Yuugi looked back down and absorbed the truth, but he lost his sad expression after a moment and replaced it with one of lukewarm understanding.

"It's all right…everyone else will be there, and we'll have fun. But it won't be the same without you."

Jounouchi grinned at Yuugi, knowing full well that it was the truth. Jounouchi did want to go, and in all honesty he rather missed spending the night at Yuugi's house with all of his friends. But now there was Seto, and Jounouchi couldn't stand the thought of spending his spare moments away from him. He knew that he would have fun if he went to Yuugi's, but he also knew that he would spend the entire evening thinking about what Seto was doing and wishing that he himself were there, doing whatever it was with him.

"Where are you going now?" School had let out a few minutes earlier, and Jounouchi was idly killing time as he talked with Yuugi in front of the building.

"I'm going over to Seto's. It's not a long walk, and he didn't bother to come into school today, so I can't catch a ride." Jounouchi looked up the sky and frowned, mostly to himself. "In fact…I should probably get going. He'll come home early from work today."

Jounouchi turned to say goodbye to his friend, but Yuugi stepped forward and stood at Jounouchi's side.

"I'll walk with you. I need to get something from there."

The two boys walked side by side in silence, until Jounouchi's mind clicked and then replayed the very last thing that he had heard.

"Wait…you need something from Seto's house? What is it?"

"Remember that history project that the teacher forced Seto to participate in? Seto was in my group, and he still has the video that we made. I wanted to borrow it and show everyone tonight." Yuugi laughed to himself at the memory. "It's so funny…especially Seto's part…we made him dress up as Princess Onishirona…"

Yuugi's sentence dissolved into a fit of giggling, and then Jounouchi began to recollect the events that Yuugi spoke of with a growing grin.

Jounouchi remembered something, vaguely, when Seto had come home awfully late one evening. Jounouchi had been waiting at Seto's house for a while, and when Seto finally arrived, he'd immediately run up the stairs and hid himself in the bathroom for a very long time. Jounouchi had some suspicions, especially since he'd noticed Seto's cheeks being much more pink than they normally were, but Seto had dashed up the stairs so quickly that Jounouchi hadn't even had the chance to say hello. Realization dawned on him just then, and he burst into laughter alongside Yuugi, who was still giggling from before.

"Is that what happened? Seto refused to tell me what you all were doing, and I never got to see the finished product since you guys are in a different class than I am." Jounouchi ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his friend. "How did you get him to do that?"

Yuugi shrugged his shoulders and looked back up at Jounouchi.

"It was the last part left. Seto was late, and we all chose our parts without him there. By the time he arrived…it was the only part that hadn't been taken. He had to; the teacher said she'd give him an F for the class if he didn't participate."

Jounouchi shook his head and began to feel embarrassed for Seto…in a way. In a way that still allotted plenty of room for amusement. Yuugi quieted down, and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they walked.

"So," Yuugi broke the quiet once more, in a softer tone. "What's so special about tonight? You mentioned it last week…didn't you?"

Jounouchi nodded his head and thought of the day that he was in, a day that had been in the back of his mind, lurking ominously for quite some time. Six months…six months was a long time, and yet it seemed as though it could have been hours.

"Today…Seto and I have been together for six months."

Jounouchi continued to walk while looking at the ground beneath his feet, and he didn't see the small smile that pulled at the corners of his friend's mouth.

"Wow…it's really been that long? I'm so happy for you, Jou."

Jounouchi glanced over and caught Yuugi's smile, and he felt his lips responding in the same manner. It was nice, wasn't it? Perhaps it wasn't such a long time, but it meant something to Jounouchi, and he wasn't quite sure what it was. To spend an amount of time such as that with one person, and to still not be able to stand it when they were not around…

Jounouchi couldn't help but feel that something was sneaking up on him, something that he didn't want to say just yet, for fear of startling it and scaring it away for good.

"Yeah…I don't know why, but I guess I like him okay…" Jounouchi passed Yuugi a dry smile, and Yuugi laughed aloud.

They walked around a street corner and Seto's house fell into sight, and Jounouchi noted that Seto's car wasn't in the driveway.

Not yet, Jounouchi thought, but Seto had promised that since he was skipping school to go into work, he would be home earlier than usual.

Yuugi followed Jounouchi up the front steps and into the house, and then Jounouchi led him into a room just around the corner from the front door.

"He gave you a key?"

Jounouchi answered with a sly grin, and then pointed over to a desk that sat in the far corner of the small room, surrounded by filing cabinets and shelves lined with textbooks and stacks of old papers.

"Seto's school stuff," he said and smirked.

Jounouchi snickered quietly, and Yuugi looked all around, noticing that Seto really liked to hang on to his old homework.

"I keep telling him that he doesn't need to keep any of this stuff, but…I guess he's just so used to filing everything away. It makes him feel prepared, or something…I don't really get it."

Jounouchi stepped forward and Yuugi followed him across the bare wooden floor, coming up to the desk and watching as Jounouchi began pulling open the drawers, one by one.

"It would be in here, if he didn't destroy the thing…here it is!" Jounouchi stood up proudly and waved the unmarked video in his hand.

Yuugi smiled gratefully and reached up to grab it, but Jounouchi held it up out of his reach and gave Yuugi a sudden look of seriousness.

"Okay…I don't really care if you borrow this, but _please…_bring it back with you tomorrow and give it to me in first period. And tell everyone else not to say anything about it to him…if he finds out that I let you borrow this, he'll kill me…promise?"

Yuugi let his hands fall to his sides, and he gave Jounouchi his best look of starving innocence.

"I promise."

Jounouchi smiled and tossed the video to Yuugi, who caught it and unzipped his backpack, shoving the tape inside the bag.

"Thanks, Jou. I wish that you could watch this with us, but I know that you'll be happier here with Seto tonight. Have fun."

Yuugi walked back to the front door, followed by Jounouchi, and he turned and waved goodbye to his friend as he set off for his own home. It was too bad that Jounouchi couldn't come, he thought, but he wasn't upset with his friend at all for it. Yuugi knew that Jounouchi loved Seto, although he wasn't positive if Jounouchi himself knew it yet, or even if Seto saw it. Still…it was going to be much more quiet without Jounouchi around, and there would be for too much food that most likely wouldn't get eaten.

* * *

"Okay…everyone sit down here. I have something that you've gotta see." 

Yuugi ran across the living room floor, video in hand, and he sat down excitedly right in front of the television. He shoved the cassette into the VCR, and then turned to make sure that everyone was watching.

Honda sat on the floor a few feet behind Yuugi, grinning madly, because he had been one of the participants in the infamous history project, and therefore knew exactly what it was that Yuugi wanted everyone to see.

In truth, it had been Honda's idea in the first place, for while Yuugi had been asking Honda and the three other students in the group to wait for Seto to arrive so they could begin filming their project, Honda had been quietly considering the fact that there were five boys and no girls in their group. Honda had also considered the fact that there was one female role in the particular historical event that that their group had been chosen to act out, and Honda had decided that it was not going to be him. Bringing up this fact to the rest of the group had spawned a sudden disinterest in waiting for Seto, and they had all silently agreed that Seto could choose his own part as soon as he arrived. In the meantime, however, they also decided that the group members that were present should probably begin choosing roles for themselves.

Seto had been on his own from that point on, and Honda had to muffle a laugh at the memory of the result.

Behind where Honda sat was Yuugi's couch, and both Anzu and Ryou sat on it side by side, looking slightly confused due to Yuugi's refusal to explain anything about the tape to them, insisting that they instead ought to view the footage for themselves.

Everyone sat quietly then and watched Yuugi intently, who was already laughing under his breath at the memory of Seto all dressed up and looking so shockingly pretty. It actually hadn't been the absolute worst thing that could have happened, and Yuugi had been somewhat surprised at how convincing Seto had been.

He couldn't wait to show everybody.

Yuugi's hand paused over the play button, and he looked back at his friends once again, this time with a more serious expression.

"Okay, you guys have to promise that you won't tell Seto that I borrowed this tape back from him…and you definitely can't tell him that you saw him like this. Right?"

Anzu and Ryou nodded silently, and Honda sat up from his sprawled position on the floor to give Yuugi the thumbs up. Smiling, Yuugi turned back to the VCR and pressed the play button, scooting back on the carpet just a bit so he could see the television screen a bit better.

"I wish Jou was here," Honda spoke absentmindedly as the four of them waited for the tape to begin playing. "This is just the sort of thing that he would love," he mused thoughtfully, "especially since it's Kaiba who…"

Honda's voice trailed off into an uncertain silence, and no one asked him to finish his sentence. No one even remembered that Honda had been speaking, because the tape had started up suddenly and everyone in the room was far too distracted to notice.

Anzu let out a small scream and her hand shot up to cover her eyes, while Ryou squinted at the screen for a moment before his eyes grew wide, and a flush erupted and spread quickly over his face. He looked down at Honda, who was looking at Yuugi. Yuugi wasn't looking at anything but the television screen, and he blinked in disbelief and then reached out to the VCR and pressed the stop button as quickly as he could, but it wasn't quick enough. The video shut off, and the film was replaced by the blue standby screen, to the relief of everyone involved.

Yuugi's living room fell into a deathly silent pallor, until Honda began making a strange noise behind his hand. Both Anzu and Ryou stared at him, wondering what was the matter, and then Yuugi finally noticed what was going on behind him, and he, too, turned to look at Honda, who sheepishly took his hand from his mouth and tried to put on a straight face. It worked for a moment, but as soon as the moment was over Honda looked down at the carpet and started laughing again nervously.

"Hey, Yuugi…I can't remember filming **_that_**. Are you sure that you borrowed the right tape from Seto?"

Yuugi spoke quietly, unsure of what to do or say just then.

"I didn't borrow it from Seto, I borrowed it from Jou. He took it out of Seto's desk, but…he didn't check it to see if it was the right one."

Honda started chuckling to himself again, and finally Anzu got fed up with him and threw one of the couch cushions at his head, aiming perfectly. Honda turned to glare at her, but she only glared right back.

"This isn't funny, Honda."

Honda threw his hands up in the air with a wry smile, feigning defeat.

"I know…it's just…I was just thinking about how we're going to tell him."

Yuugi glanced over at the couch and saw that no one agreed with Honda's plan.

"Tell who? Jou? Are you kidding? I'm not telling him anything." Anzu frowned at Honda, and instead of replying Honda looked over at Yuugi and gave him a questioning look.

"Yuugi? Aren't we gonna tell Jou?"

Yuugi stared at Honda, still shocked over what he'd seen, but still aware enough to shake his head emphatically.

"No way. No one tells Jou…okay? I'll just give this back to him tomorrow like we promised, and then no one will ever know. See? It's perfect."

Honda frowned at Yuugi, confused about something.

"But then how will we get the real tape? I wanted to see it again."

Anzu scoffed loudly, and Yuugi smiled and picked up the couch cushion and used it to beat Honda in the head a few times, giggling nervously.

"Hey, I'm just easin' the tension," Honda grinned and turned to point at Anzu and Ryou on the couch. "But you should have seen the looks on your guys' faces…" Honda's laughter started up once more, and this time Yuugi laughed alongside him, feeling an odd sort of dread about the following morning.

* * *

Jounouchi and Seto arrived at school together the following morning, and the two of them walked quietly into their first class just minutes before the final bell was due to ring. Seto sat down in his desk across the room, and Jounouchi took his own seat right between Honda and Yuugi and smiled cheerfully at the two of them. 

Honda immediately began to laugh to himself, and Yuugi shot him a glare past Jounouchi as he leaned over and reached furtively into his backpack, checking to see if Seto was watching.

"Here, Jou…thanks for letting me borrow this."

Yuugi handed the videotape to Jounouchi with an empty smile, and Jounouchi reached out and took it, grinning at Yuugi slightly as he searched his friend's face, wondering what was off about it. After Jounouchi's hand was safely around the tape, Yuugi immediately looked away and stared at the front of the classroom, glancing over occasionally to give Honda a worried glare, to which Honda would only reply with more muffled laughter.

Jounouchi stared at Honda and then turned to look at Yuugi, who refused to meet his eyes, and after a few more seconds of pure confusion Jounouchi finally turned to Honda again and spoke.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Honda quieted down at Jounouchi's outburst, and he looked over and grinned at both Yuugi and Jounouchi.

"Nothing…but seriously, you should watch that tape. Yuugi said that you didn't even know about it until yesterday. I think you'll find it…interesting."

Honda finished speaking quickly as the teacher stepped up to the front of the classroom, and Jounouchi nodded slowly at Honda, knowing that his friend was trying to tell him something. He just wasn't sure what it was. He made up his mind to watch the tape that day before Seto came home from work, and then as soon as he was finished he would simply hide the tape in Seto's desk where he had taken it from in the first place.

Jounouchi's eyes flickered in Seto's direction and he smiled, finding Seto immersed in something on the screen of his laptop. Seto didn't usually come home until evening, and Jounouchi would have plenty of time after being dropped off at Seto's house to watch the video, although he felt a bit apprehensive about the way that Honda and Yuugi had been acting. Especially Yuugi.

Jounouchi wondered if it was really all that important for him to watch some school project of Seto's from last semester, but he trusted in what Honda had eluded to and decided that he would watch it the moment he got home.

Maybe it really was as funny as Yuugi said it was.

* * *

Jounouchi strode casually into the living room in Seto's home and dumped his backpack on the couch, unzipping the side pocket and pulling out the returned videotape, flipping it over idly in his hands as he approached the television against the wall. He leaned over and stuck the cassette inside the VCR and then laid himself across the couch lazily, digging the remote out from beneath it's usual cushion and turning the television to the correct station. He pointed the remote towards the VCR and pressed the play button, feeling strangely curious about what his two friends had been going on about earlier that morning. 

Come to think of it, Jounouchi mused as he fixed his eyes on the screen and waited for the film to play, no one had really had any eyes for him that day. The only direct eye contact he'd gotten from anyone had been from Seto.

He blinked once at the screen, then again, trying to focus his eyes and finding himself unable to do so. His heartbeat quickened and he inhaled sharply, sitting up from the couch slowly and pulling himself into a somewhat standing position.

It couldn't be…

He took a step forward, then another, and finally he walked blindly across the room towards the screen and looked behind him instinctively, making sure that he was alone and that Mokuba hadn't walked in or anything.

No one was there, and Jounouchi brought his eyes back to the television and watched silently, unsure of what might come out if he tried to speak or react. It was unmistakable, and he had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but he couldn't believe that Seto would take the tape out of the system and hide it like that.

Seto had a lot of explaining to do, Jounouchi decided.

He felt that he should be mad, he should be furious, in fact, but he was far too shocked and confused to feel much of anything at the moment.

And then the truth of the matter hit him, and he realized that he had just gotten this very tape back…

…which meant that he had lent it out.

Jounouchi dropped the remote and it fell to the carpet, and he ran the rest of the way to the VCR, shutting the entire system off and leaving the video inside the player. He sat himself down on the carpet cross-legged and thought, thought of the way that Yuugi had looked at him that morning, the way that Honda had been laughing. Honda _would_ laugh.

And then he thought of one other thing, a memory of something that Yuugi had said to him.

"_Remember that history project that the teacher forced Seto to participate in? Seto was in my group, and he still has the video that we made. I wanted to borrow it and show everyone tonight…"_

That meant that all of Jounouchi's friends had seen this tape.

Jounouchi wanted to scream. Mostly at Seto. He wanted to march down to Seto's office right in that instant and demand an explanation, even though he knew that there really weren't a whole lot of options as far as motivation was concerned. But he had let Yuugi take that video, and he hadn't even checked to be sure that it was the one that Yuugi had asked for. Jounouchi knew that it was at least partially his own fault, but even though that was true, it still remained to be seen what Seto might have to say for himself, and Jounouchi couldn't wait to hear it.

Seto returned home around the same time that normally did each evening, and as usual Jounouchi was waiting for him in the living room, but as Seto approached the room and saw that Jounouchi was standing in the center impatiently, arms crossed and glaring furiously, Seto began to wonder if there wasn't anywhere else that he needed to be right then. He knew that whatever it was that had Jounouchi so hostile, it was most likely his fault, although it still remained to be seen whether he would be proven guilty or not.

Seto stepped into the living room cautiously, feeling something awfully heavy bearing down on his chest, and he paused just a few feet shy of Jounouchi himself.

"Jounouchi…"

"Seto."

Jounouchi suddenly regarded Seto with an amused grin, and Seto frowned, wondering what Jounouchi was up to. He took another step forward but Jounouchi countered it by stepping backwards, and then he turned around completely and walked towards the television, flipping it on and leaning down to press a few buttons on the VCR.

Seto watched him as he did so, not saying anything at all for fear of incriminating himself before it was absolutely necessary. He hadn't the slightest clue what he'd done to make Jounouchi so upset, but he wanted to hurry up and find out so that he could remember not to do it again.

"Jounouchi, I-"

Seto's voice quit in mid-sentence when Jounouchi held his hand up for silence and pointed to the television screen. Seto's eyes followed Jounouchi's lead, and then widened considerably as he realized what it was that he had done, or rather, what he'd filmed.

He glanced back at Jounouchi, who was staring at Seto's face intently and waiting for a reaction, and Seto shut his eyes briefly and racked his brain for something, anything at all that sounded plausible.

Upon seeing that Seto was not going to speak right away, Jounouchi leaned back down and shut the tape off, then stood up silently and folded his arms over his chest, awaiting an explanation.

Seto didn't say a word, and instead he stared back at Jounouchi, too tired and thrown off to come up with anything reasonable. Jounouchi decided that he was finished waiting, and he walked over to the couch as he spoke, and Seto followed him and sat down in the space beside him.

"You took the security tape out of the system…didn't you?"

Jounouchi's voice didn't sound angry, and Seto looked up slightly when he noticed the tone. It wasn't angry, just exasperated and a little stressed out, which Seto could deal with. He'd screwed up countless times in the past, and he'd learned that there wasn't too much that he couldn't repair. This mess, however, he knew was going to be a bit trickier than most to extricate himself from.

Seto sat back on the couch and grinned at Jounouchi, for a reason that he couldn't fathom.

When Jounouchi saw Seto's response, Jounouchi wanted to explode at him, but he knew that if he did, he might spill the secret that his friends had seen the tape, and Jounouchi had already decided a long time ago that Seto simply wasn't going to find that part out. Ever. So instead of screaming, Jounouchi also leaned back into the couch and took a deep breath, watching Seto's face the entire time.

Seto began to feel that he should say something, although everything that he could think of to say would either be highly inappropriate or just plain mean, and while normally it wouldn't concern him so much, he knew that he was already walking across a very thin layer of ice, and would most likely continue to do so for the remainder of the evening.

So he remained silent instead, and waited for Jounouchi to begin yelling at him, or screaming, or maybe to throw something at him. Whatever it was that Jounouchi would do so that he could stop being mad and go back to being Jounouchi, which was who Seto had come home to see in the first place, and had been very disappointed to find that he wasn't there. Jounouchi took another breath and turned to face Seto fully, and Seto braced himself for the onslaught, but it never came.

Jounouchi tried to yell, he honestly did, but he knew from the start that he wasn't going to. He wasn't even all that upset. He had been a little disturbed by it, at first, but that had been almost completely due to the fact that his friends had seen the tape, and he found that what Seto had done himself wasn't really such a terrible thing.

Perhaps it was even…well…no. It was really, really weird, and just a little disconcerting, but it certainly wasn't something that Jounouchi would have put past Seto, and Jounouchi stared at him as hard as he could and tried to get angry, to no avail.

So he shut his eyes and laughed instead, silently at first and then it grew louder with each passing moment, and he opened his eyes and saw Seto's wildly confused stare, and he laughed even harder.

He laughed because all of his friends would always look at Seto and see the video in their minds, and Seto would never know. He most likely wouldn't even notice, to be honest, and Jounouchi laughed at that, as well. He laughed at the thought of Seto, dressed up as a princess, and the realization that he never, ever wanted Seto to leave, or be somewhere that Jounouchi wasn't, for as long as it took for him to die. Then Jounouchi leaned over and fell onto Seto's chest and laughed, so hard that tears fell from his eyes and Seto stiffened underneath him in distress.

It took a few minutes, but Jounouchi was able to finally calm himself down, and when he did he lifted his eyes and looked inside of Seto's, finding a deep and slightly frightened confusion there.

"You're sick…you know that?"

Jounouchi spoke sternly, but he was smiling so widely that it didn't even matter, and Seto smirked back, silently hoping that Jounouchi wasn't going to confiscate his videotape.

Seto wondered how Jounouchi had found it, because he himself had thought that he'd lost it, and it had made Seto feel strangely sad to have lost that tape in particular. That had been the very first time he had ever done that sort of thing with Jounouchi, and while he had never actually watched the tape himself, he felt that it was thekind of thing that people kept around when they wanted to remember something fondly.

* * *

AN: note how I never said what it was that was on that tape. But you all thought it was...what? 


End file.
